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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-03-23 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
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From: |
Psalm 22:1-5 (NLT) |
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Text: |
1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why are you so far away when I groan for help? 2 Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer. Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. 3 Yet you are holy,
enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 Our ancestors trusted in you, and you rescued them. 5 They cried out to you and were saved. They trusted in you and were never disgraced. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| David’s plea to God reminds me of a gospel hymn ‘Take your burdens to the Lord and leave them there’! David recognized that although it appeared like God had abandoned him, yet he knew that God had been supreme to his ancestors and answered their prayers. | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| In a given day, I wonder how many folk we come across that may have abandoned God because they were frustrated into thinking that perhaps He doesn’t exist, since He refuses to answer their prayer. However I wonder if there is enough relationship between them and God that He would recognize their voice, and therefore stop to listen? Friends, if you separated yourself from your earthly dad and never supported him or cared enough to call or visit him, how do you think it would go if you asked him to help you make that vacation trip to some beautiful tropical island this year? Your separation may have been to hurt your dad for something he said to you in all honesty, but now that you need something, he’s the only one you could call on. Sounds like your story, or like stories you’ve heard? Unfortunately I believe that many of us treat our heavenly Father in a very similar fashion. Mom had this primitive belief that you should give your heart to the Lord. Her pastor visited to tell you about the joy possible in accepting the free gift of salvation. Your best friend invited you to attend church with them one Sunday. But to each of these messengers from God, you said ‘no’ because you were unwilling to change your priorities and find time for Jesus. However, an unfortunate day came when your son was hit by a car and winds up in hospital with a serious threat of possibly losing his life. Who will you call on? Please don’t misunderstand me that I am suggesting that you accept Jesus and live a life dedicated to Him so you could have that ‘good luck charm’ in your back pocket should your son get hit by a car. No, what I am saying is that I would sincerely recommend that you consider the love of Jesus for even you and I. A love that took Him to the cross of Calvary, just so that you and I could be saved from the pit of Hell and instead be assured the glories of heaven with Jesus and His Father. Knowing Him gives us assurance that whether we live on this earth, or die, there is eternal hope for us to see Jesus face to face where we might glorify Him for ever and ever. Knowing Jesus gives you assurance that when you petition Him in prayer, that you can leave the matter at His feet in confidence knowing that He will answer your prayer. You will quickly learn that since you asked Jesus in earnest, His response could be yes, or no, or I have something much better in store for You, or not at this time dear child. Wont’ you know Him today friend and know that peace that comes from being one with Him? The benefits, contentment, glory and peace that comes from knowing Jesus personally, are simply ‘out of this world’! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, thank You for hearing the prayers of Your children. What a reminder today that even David had times of questioning, because we tend to do that so often. However, I praise You heavenly Father for ALWAYS answering perfectly! Only You know the perfect outcome for our situations, so thank You for hearing our cry, but answering in a way that You know is perfect! May we never lose sight of who You are, and Your awesome power to do all things that fits perfectly into Your will for our lives. To God be the glory! AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Category: Power of Prayer
Where The Power Comes From!
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Post Date: |
Thursday, 2017-03-16 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Exodus 17:9-13 (NCV) |
|
Text: |
9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some men and go and fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the walking stick of God in my hands.”10 Joshua obeyed Moses and went to fight the Amalekites, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill. 11 As long as Moses held his hands up, the Israelites would win the fight, but when Moses put his hands down, the Amalekites would win. 12 Later, when Moses’ arms became tired, the men put a large rock under him, and he sat on it. Then Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands—Aaron on one side and Hur on the other. They kept his hands steady until the sun went down. 13 So Joshua defeated the Amalekites in this battle. |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Moses had been given the ‘Staff of God’ while dealing with the Egyptian king and he saw God perform miracle after miracle to change a stubborn man’s heart. He had also used the staff on many occasions in the wilderness to do such miracles as parting the Red Sea, bringing forth water from a rock, etc. Then, of course, we are told in this passage how Moses also used the Staff to deliver Joshua and his men who protected the Israelites from the onslaught of the Amalekites. The source of the power to win this battle is evident! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| I find it so interesting that we seek God in earnest prayer when we are sick or when something serious is going on in our life. However, when God answers our prayers and delivers us from, what seemed to be a very critical situation, we resort to giving praises to the handiwork of the doctors; the great care by the nurses; the love and concern of our family; etc, but often we move on with life instead of recognizing that it was the power of the Almighty, merciful Father that brought us through. In reading this biblical story today, it is very evident where the power came from for Joshua and his men to ‘overwhelm the Amalekites’, as one translation puts it, for as long as Moses held up the ‘Staff of God’, Joshua and his army would win, but when he became tired and the Staff of God dropped, Joshua and his men would suffer under the Amalekites. Could it be that it is the ‘power of God’ that: heals the sick and afflicted today; or comforts the broken hearted; or saves the unlikely neighbor or enemy of yours when you pray? Friends, I believe that when we recognize God in response to our prayers, we must not ‘beat around the bush’ about any worldly influence in that situation, instead we must use that as a praiseworthy situation to which God deserves our praise and thanksgiving. Those are especially times of witnessing for the awesome work of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the sweet Holy Spirit that prompts us to pray for power from on high. There just isn’t any other name or no other power like that of Jesus. As you acknowledge the power of our God, the unsaved will stop and begin to understand through real life situations how truly awesome our God is. May I suggest that you continue to pray with all your heart, soul and mind, but never forget to follow through in praise and honor to the God who can do all things, especially miracles where there is no other explanation for the outcome. Lift up the banner of God friend, so that the world might know and believe in the one true God and His precious Son, Jesus our Lord! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Lord Jesus, we are often so ungrateful for all that You do in answering our prayer (lifting our ‘Staff of God’ before You), yet we are so quick to follow the crowd in giving others praise for accomplishing the very work that we prayer to You for. Shameful, shameful on our part. Please forgive us. I believe it is evident that You perform these miracles so that You might be lifted up, not that we might be satisfied that we have access to the Father anytime we need Him. You are not our ‘Santa Claus’, but rather, You are the God who created us; the God who saved us; the God who hears the heart cry of a sinner who had turned their back on You, yet You are willing to forgive and receive us as holy and acceptable to You. You are the same God that hears our prayer for circumstances that seem impossible to us, and You are not only attentive to our prayer, but You answer our prayers in the only way that is perfect. Lord, I have no understanding why we would not be in a mode of continuous praise and adoration of such an awesome Father, but You do, and so I plead with You to touch the hearts of Your children once again and teach us to recognize Your power and never be ashamed of giving You praise and glory for Your mighty works. Thank You Heavenly Father, AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Pray – In Faith – and Receive
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Post Date: |
Tuesday, 2017-03-07 |
| SCRIPTURE | |
|
From: |
Matthew 21:20-22 (NLT) |
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Text: |
20 The disciples were amazed when they saw this and asked, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.” |
| OBSERVATION: | |
| Jesus had a point to prove to his followers, because He knew there was still doubt in their minds of what all they could accomplish through the power of the Holy Spirit. So He merely spoke to a barren fig tree and it instantly withered up. Of course, the disciples reacted just as Jesus knew they would, and this provided a teaching moment for Jesus. Verse 22 should be posted in all prayer rooms today! | |
| APPLICATION: | |
| For all believers reading this today, I believe that we can reflect back on our life-journey and see the path God set that led us towards accepting Him as our Master and Lord. For me, it was: placing the right lady in my life; one who was attending an evangelistic, Bible-teaching church that believed in altar calls; driving me towards attending her church vs the one that I was attending; placing a godly man in the service the night that I felt God tugging at my heart but wouldn’t let go of the seat to go to the altar, so God’s messenger came over, touched me on the shoulder and helped me make that walk that totally changed my life for ever. For the disciples, in our story today, who needed to learn about faith, Jesus also found the perfect time to demonstrate His power, and teach them about the miracles that could be wrought by even them, if they had faith. Friends, this story was placed in the Word of God to show us that, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we too have access to the throne of God to ‘ask for anything, in faith, and receive it’. Sounds impossible? Good, because the Bible said that these miracles will not be of our own power, but if we ask Jesus for it, and believe in faith that He can, and He will do it, then our prayer will be answered. So if we are asking this of Jesus, please realize that the things you ask will have to be things that He would approve of, and that fits into His perfect will. Jesus even gave an example of what could be possible through this kind of faith. So may I challenge you today to consider whether anything that you would ask in prayer today is greater than the ability to move a mountain into the sea? Probably not, right? Yet Jesus said that could be done, if we exercise our faith in Him! Wow! | |
| PRAYER: | |
| Father, there are things that many of Your children are praying for right now that seem very impossible to us. Please draw us closer to You so that our faith might increase, and so that we would think outside of our small box of finite possibilities. We need You Heavenly Father to be in charge of our personal lives, so we fully surrender to You today. Please use us as Your instruments through which You can reach the souls of mankind. May we never be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and may we see nothing but Jesus rather than the mountains of impossibilities that often block our view of You. Thank You Lord for reminding us of Your awesome power that can be extended from You to others we cross paths with, in the form of miracles today. AMEN! | |
| FOOTNOTE: | |
| There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us! | |
Need Help With Your Praying?
Tuesday, 2016-11-22
Scripture
Bible Reference: Romans 8:26-28
Bible Text: 26 A similar thing happens when we pray. We are weak and do not know how to pray, so the Spirit steps in and articulates prayers for us with groaning too profound for words. 27 Don’t you know that He who pursues and explores the human heart intimately knows the Spirit’s mind because He pleads to God for His saints to align their lives with the will of God? 28 We are confident that God is able to orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful when we love Him and accept His invitation to live according to His plan.
Bible Translation: The Voice Translation (VOICE)
My Take
Very often we are sitting around a family gathering and a spouse may start to share a story, but very soon the partner spouse, or perhaps a son or daughter, steps in and helps share the story, especially if they see the individual struggling to remember all of the facts, or properly articulate the story at the time. Ever felt sometimes that you have so much on your mind to speak with God about, but you just can’t put your words together to properly speak with God about it in prayer? Ever stopped to imagine that not only does God know the depth of your heart on the matter before you open your mouth to try and express your heart, but that the Holy Spirit who came to reside in you the day your surrendered your heart to Jesus, is already muttering prayers to God on your behalf? Further, one of the translations that I looked into on this passage indicated that while you might pray to God from a human perspective, the Holy Spirit is praying the will of God before the Master on your behalf! Wow! Can you comprehend that friend! How awesome is that? I believe this helps us avoid one of the huge obstacles for Christians in their prayer life – the excuse that you don’t know how to pray, or that you don’t know the right words to say. Friends, I believe we are reminded here that it is just super important that we pray – have conversation with our Creator; our Master; our Savior; and our everlasting Father. In the cases where we fall short, or we feel lacking in what to say, let’s always remember that we have an advocate that is every present and who speaks with the Father on our behalf. Now some of you reading this may question if this is for every church-goer, or for the whole family (sons and daughters; mothers and fathers). Please read carefully the very last sentence in our scripture today: for those who love Jesus, and accept His invitation to live according to His plan, the Word says that God will orchestrate everything to work toward something good and beautiful. Friends, this wonderful expression of love by God is yours, if you have surrendered your life to the lordship of His Son Jesus, who sacrificed His life on a cross at Calvary, so that you may have forgiveness of your sin, and it opens the door for you to have eternal life in heaven with God. Do you know Him friend? Without Him you can do nothing of any kingdom value, nor do you have any hope in eternity. With Him you will not only have eternal life, but He will orchestrate everything to work towards something good and beautiful for you! I believe the choice is obvious. Read my Footnote for tips on how to make this change in your life, otherwise drop me a note so that I may pray with you about your life concerns.
Prayer
Lord, who are we that a King should live and die for? Who are we that a representative of the King of kings should take up residence in our hearts and lives just to ensure that we stay on course, and have ongoing assurance of the awesome power of our awesome God? Lord, I am convinced that it could only be a result of the love You have for your children, that You do so much for us. Thank You for Jesus, Heavenly Father! Thank You for the Holy Spirit – our comforter; our Joy; our Protector; our Guide and our Advocate. Lord, in You we place our trust, and in You we look for daily guidance to live a life worthy of Your calling, and the powerful delivery from the evil one. Thank You Holy Spirit for speaking with the Master on our behalf, for we are so unworthy and so incapable. Lord, we commend ourselves into Your keeping and Your care, for it’s You alone that we adore and seek to serve every day. AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
Prayer In Anticipation of What’s To Come
Sunday, 2016-11-20
Scripture
Bible Reference: John 17:13-17
Bible Text: 13 “And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so that they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your commands. And the world hates them because they don’t fit in with it, just as I don’t. 15 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from Satan’s power. 16 They are not part of this world any more than I am. 17 Make them pure and holy through teaching them your words of truth.
Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)
My Take
Jesus was about to leave this world and return to His Father. While on earth He touched the hearts of many and saw them come to a saving knowledge of the Father. However, He knew that there was great opposition to the stand His followers took as children of God, as compared to the rest of the world being led by the evil one. So while Jesus was happy to return to His Father, He dreaded the idea of leaving His children among the likes of Satan and his earthly tempters. I believe that is most admirable of our blessed Savior, don’t you? So I believe that the question for us today is that knowing what our Lord did for us, how concerned are we for those we love? Can we honestly stand before God and say that we have prayed in all sincerity for our lost ones, or that we have shared the Word of God with them? I believe that we are prepared to pray that they be shielded from the evil one, because we would never want to see anything bad brought to them, but how often do we in all sincerity pray for that? As a child of the King, and aiming to be more like Jesus every day, I believe that God would rather see us imitate the example of our Lord and Savior, more than anything else that may seem somewhat important to us. Friends, let us be reminded that we have only one life to live here on this earth, and only what’s done for Jesus will last. Oh that we will start each day determined to live a life pleasing to God, and that our relatives, friends and loved ones might come to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, based on the reality of what they see lived out in us. This is so important, especially knowing that one day soon we will stand before the throne of God and answer for our choices that we have made here on earth. My determination is that God might look intently into my eyes and share His pleasure with the choices that I have made and the life I have chosen to live here on this earth. May I count on you to do the same friend? If there is anything I can do to help you insure your eternal destination, or anything I can help you pray for regarding a loved one you fear is still without Christ, please drop me a note and allow me to pray with you. Jesus knew that we who are left on this earth would suffer through the temptations of this world and its leader, but He also knew that for the joy of what lies ahead of us, we may stand strong and joyful in the fact that greater is he that is in us than he that is in this world! Friends, we are assured that joy lies ahead for those of us that have the eternal hope of being with Jesus on that great resurrection morning! Based on the word of God, I can be confident in that fact that joy will come in the morning for me, I pray that you can do the same!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for all that You have done for me and Your other children who have accepted You as Lord and Savior. We may struggle in our circumstances today, but praise be to the God of this universe, I know what the future holds for me and I know who holds the key to that future hope. You provided the way, and through Your Word You have shown us the way to eternal hope in You oh Lord. Please help us keep our eyes of faith focused on You and a burden for the souls of those that we love and care for, as we should be most concerned about their current decisions in preparation for their eternal hope. Please burden us with an urgent heart for the eternal destination of our family and friends so that together we may look full into the wonderfrul face of Jesus on that judgment day and sing praises to the King of Glory, together with our loved ones. AMEN and AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
God: “I’ll Be There Ready For You”
Wednesday, 2016-11-09
Scripture
Bible Reference: 2 Chronicles 7:13–14
Bible Text: If I ever shut off the supply of rain from the skies or order the locusts to eat the crops or send a plague on my people, and my people, my God-defined people, respond by humbling themselves, praying, seeking my presence, and turning their backs on their wicked lives, I’ll be there ready for you: I’ll listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health.
Bible Translation: The Message (MSG)
My Take
I believe that these verses are probably some of the best known, and most quoted verses in the old testament, because we like to remind ourselves that God is always ready to hear our prayer, if only we will get off our high horses and allow Him to do that. I looked at the context of these verses in several different translations of the Bible to see if perhaps God is trying to catch my attention in some other way from these verses. Using Eugene Peterson’s ‘Message’ Bible, here’s what I believe God is saying to me today, and in sharing this with you, hopefully it may open your eyes also. Notice how God leads into this with Solomon. In the preceding verses God acknowledged the awesome temple that Solomon had built, and God assured Solomon that He would dwell there for the people. However, God then told Solomon that there still may be times that He may allow frustrations, trials and challenges for the people as He may have the need to draw them closer to Himself. Isn’t it interesting how we are so quick to run to the temple (our local churches) and really petition before God for all that is going on in our lives, or in the works of our cities/counties, or even in our country? I would imaging that in the USA, over recent months, there have probably been more prayers for the outcome of our elections than for any other reason that we may have prayed over recent years. However, notice that God didn’t tell Solomon to have the people pray for Him to restore their crops, or cleanse them from the plagues He threatened to send on them, but rather, God wanted the people to do these things:
- Humble themselves – get off the subject of self and recognize who’s in charge;
- Pray – Instead of bending the knee and pleading before God when we need our aches and pains relieved, pray instead for forgiveness of our sin, and a heart like that of Jesus – the one whom Christians should be seeking to imitate every day;
- Seek God’s presence – So often we are so intent on praying for the need at hand, that we lose sight of the broken or fractured connection between God and ourselves. Friends, there is nothing more comforting or more powerful, than seeking God’s face and His awesome presence in our own lives. Further, in these verses God assured Solomon that as His people did this, they will be reassured of His presence, as “He will be there, ready for them”!
- Turn from their sins – you might question what this has to do with what is going on at the time (lost crops, etc). Friends, I believe that God sends challenges our way, because many times it is the only way that He could get our personal attention. Renewing our relationship with God is far more important to God than restoring our crops.
God said that as His people did these things, they can be reassured that “He would be there for them”! However, notice the kicker, He didn’t say that He would then restore rainfall, or their crops; nor did He say that He would heal them of the effects from any plagues He sent on them. Instead God told Solomon that He would listen from heaven, forgive their sins, and restore their land to health! I believe that we can easily conclude from these verses that God is more interested in a right, personal relationship with His children, than anything else. Imagine what would happen if our people prayed as hard for revival, or renewal of a right relationship with God as we do for every other little thing, that really adds no value to our relationship with the Almighty. Restoring a right relationship with our God, so that we may be mold-able and usable by God WILL bring new life to our wretched, sinful world. It must begin with us – God’s people, as those without that connection will not have a clue what God is trying to achieve, nor would they ever think to look to God, who is totally unknown to them. If it’s to be, it’s up to you and I, fellow Christians!
Prayer
Father God, thank You for providing us with life itself. Lord Jesus, thank You for providing the means of salvation – forgiveness of our sin and oneness with You and the Father. Holy Spirit, thank You for Your powerful presence and work in our lives daily. As long as we live on this earth, we will be tempted by the ruler of this world with every effort to distract us in our Christian commitment to our Lord. In Psalm 1 and in Matthew 6:33 we are reminded that as we, Your holy children, humble ourselves and seek Your face that we also may receive righteousness that can only come for You dear Lord. Help us to be faithful in all we do so that Your name may be lifted high and maintain its elevated status for all to see, and subsequently believe on You. Please renew a right spirit within us Heavenly Father, so that others will see Jesus and believe. AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
God Hears Our Prayers
Monday, 2016-11-07
Scripture
Bible Reference: 2 Kings 19:17-20
Bible Text: 17 Lord, it is true that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all those nations 18 and have burned their idol-gods. But they weren’t gods at all; they were destroyed because they were only things that men had made of wood and stone. 19 O Lord our God, we plead with you to save us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone are God.”
20 Then Isaiah sent this message to Hezekiah: “The Lord God of Israel says, ‘I have heard you!
Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)
My Take
May I encourage my friends today to lift up holy hands and praise God, the creator of this universe, every day of our lives! I encourage you to do this whether things are going your way, of it seems like your world is coming to an end. Think about it friends, this helps us to put into perspective the One to whom we are about to place our heaviest burdens, and our deepest woes. The gods of those who make their own images of wood or stone had nothing to praise, but as we look out of our windows and see the beautiful sunrise and hear the birds chirping, or as in my case this week, I can hear the surf rolling onto the shoreline, don’t we need to approach God with words of affirmation of who He truly is? When we stop to count our blessings that our feet still work, and compare that to the gentleman we saw yesterday who had no feet, are we thankful yet? Friends, we may feel like the whole world is on our shoulders because of all that we have to worry about today, but may I encourage each of us to do just like Hezekiah did, and take these burdens and lay them at the feet of Jesus and pour out our soul to Him! God knows all things before we ever take them before Him, but in asking, we are recognizing that we absolutely cannot do anything about our situations, and we acknowledge that the reason we ask is that God can do all things, and only those things that fit within the confines of His perfect will. Hezekiah opened up his case before God and pleaded with Him for His help. A situation where all Hezekiah could see was total destruction of his people. Pretty serious, I would say. What’s your most serious ‘case’ today friend? Are you willing to place it before Jesus and ask Him to take charge and bring about the perfect resolution? Hezekiah never showed any signs of doubt or fear, but he had no sooner laid his petitions before God, when he received a message from God through His servant Isaiah, that his (Hezekiah’s) message was heard! No need for God to expand on that, for who are we to tell God what to do? We simply take our cares before God, share with Him our heart’s desire, and leave the resolution up to Him. Sometimes, He may have to change us, but many times He may want to answer our prayers in much the same way that we asked. Remember, God’s in control, not us!
Prayer
In considering who You are, and being reminded of Your awesome power and concern for Your children, we acknowledge that we are mere servants bringing our petitions before the very God who created us and the universe in which we exist. Our concerns seem humongous to us, but praise God from whom all blessings flow, we present our concerns before the same God who raised Lazarus from the dead, brought Jesus back to life on the third day after His crucifixion and, He walked on water to rescue His disciples who were in trouble out on the waters. Further, He made the lame to walk again, the blind to see and the deaf to hear, so what again did we say is our biggest dilemma that we are concerned about today? Should we have confidence that God can handle our challenges also? Friends, we are in good hands with our God! Notice that Hezekiah didn’t try to enlarge his army or increase his artillery, instead he took his threatening letter and opened it before the same God I just tried to describe, and asked for His guidance and help. There are stories in the Bible where God protected His people by bringing confusion so approaching enemy armies, who wound up destroying themselves! Do we dare ask or question how could God possibly resolve our BIG issues? He’s got this friend! Trust Him and obey His commands, for there’s no other way! In that same awesome power, I ask these things dear Jesus, AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
Exposed By The Holy Spirit
Saturday, 2016-10-15
Scripture
Bible Reference: Romans 8:26–29
Bible Text: 26 And in the same way — by our faith — the Holy Spirit helps us with our daily problems and in our praying. For we don’t even know what we should pray for nor how to pray as we should, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with such feeling that it cannot be expressed in words. 27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows, of course, what the Spirit is saying as he pleads for us in harmony with God’s own will. 28 And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.
Bible Translation: The Living Bible (TLB)
My Take
I’m sure that each one reading my blog today will admit that there were times when you wanted to pray, but just could not get your mind together, or get the right words to express in your communication with God. Having been married for 41 years, I sometime feel like I know what my wife is thinking, or about to say. However, after reading these verses today I am reminded that our relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a lot more intimate than anything I could imagine. Friends, often when we think about praying out loud, we become so self aware of our inadequacies in the face of those who may be around us, so we remain silent. Ever thought about how this is not an issue with God? Scripture says that He knows our heart, our mind and our thoughts, so what does it matter about what blabbers out of our mouth? I believe that our part in this whole relationship with God, is that we are to concentrate on having the mind of Christ and be willing to surrender our will to the perfect will of God. There’s a saying ‘from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks’. In the context of this scripture, I would challenge us all to make sure that our heart, mind and soul is filled with the qualities of the one whom we claim to serve. If you are a child of the King, then the Holy Spirit will not only prod you to draw closer to God and be filled with the mind of Christ, but He will also share the content of your heart, soul and mind with the Master. What will that look like friend? Are you proud of all that God is hearing about you today? Deep inside are you really anything like what you believe God expects of You? Remember now, you can probably pull off exactly what your pastor, or your spouse or your friends expect to see from you, but through the Holy Spirit, God knows the very innermost depths of your heart, soul and mind. To quote a phrase from my earlier life in the islands, “come clean man” – which means – Brother, be honest and totally open with yourself and with your God. There is no time for ‘blowing smoke’, for God knows your very heart, regardless of what the world hears from your mouth..
Prayer
I am amazed by the power, the love and the wisdom of You, my Almighty God. For You knew how weak we would be in saying what our heart really cries out with, and how we would be so ready to show off our own strengths and abilities, instead of truly giving You access to our hearts. Lord, I am convinced that without a changed heart, You will never see a changed man. Thank You for sending Your awesome Holy Spirit to reside inside of us and help us in our walk with You, for we want others to see Jesus and not the weakness of mere human efforts, thoughts or actions. Please touch us once again today Father, and help us to surrender fully to Your will and Your way. May Your Holy Spirit have free and full access to our heart, with every right to convince us of wrong doings and evil thoughts. Lord, may others be encouraged today because they have felt Your presence working through us. Thank You for loving us so much, and being so considerate of our needs, and to ensure that our representation of You is totally genuine. I submit myself wholly and solely to Your will oh Lord. Please impact the hearts and lives of my readers in ways that You know will allow them to best represent You. AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
Important Tips on Prayer For Others
Friday, 2016-09-23
Scripture
Bible Reference: Colossians 1:9-11
Bible Text: 9 We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding that his Spirit gives. 10 Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better. 11 His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy.
Bible Translation: Contemporary English Version (CEV)
My Take
Like any good, loving, caring, pastor/shepherd would desire for their flock, the apostle Paul wanted most of all to see the saints at Colossae :
- Honor God with their life;
- Be constantly vigilant for ways to help each other in good deeds; and
- Come to know God even better.
Of course, these results are virtually impossible on our own when we live in Satan’s playground, filled with sin and sinful temptations to please self and pull the other person down. However, Paul knew that the secret for success in these objectives could only come from the Master himself, therefore prayer for the saints was foremost in Paul’s agenda. So in verse 9 above, Paul declares that he and Timothy have not stopped praying for the people, and that they always pray for God to show His people everything He wants them to do, and that they would be filled with wisdom and understanding that only the Holy Spirit could give them to discern the will of God. Friends, my heart melted with these words, and the desire of these two godly saints. What if our church leaders devoted themselves more to this type of prayer for their people, than about building the next largest church building, or to introducing the next ‘program’ that would attract more folk from the church around the corner? I believe that Paul recognized that for the church to truly come to know God better, and to grow in patience and a deeper love for God – that results in pure happiness, then they needed to draw closer to the Source of all wisdom, all peace, and all joy. No doubt Paul recognized that as this became very evident in their daily lives that it would ignite a fire in those that they would come into contact with. You see, I believe that Paul recognized that his mission was to promote God, and not himself. To draw the people to God and not to himself. I also believe that if we are to truly honor God in drawing the lost to Himself, then we must get off our personal soap boxes and promote the growth of the people in their relationship to God ONLY. Nothing else will do. When that fire is ignited, the lost will be drawn to that and our churches will grow!
Prayer
Lord, thank You for loving us in spite of ourselves – in spite of our selfish motives and our greed. Thank You for also providing Your Word to speak to our hearts and challenging us on our shortcomings. Please give us the wisdom, boldness and determination to always seek Your face and to desire the very best spiritual wisdom for those that we serve. Lord, may we never lose sight of the fact that our efforts and our mission is to praise and promote You. May we always learn to step aside so that our people will see You and You alone, so that You may increase and that their eyes may be opened to Your truth – their guiding force. With thanksgiving and my sincere love and admiration, I ask these things in the precious name of Jesus, AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
God Provides Our Needs Plus Some
Monday, 2016-08-22
Scripture
Bible Reference: 1 Kings 3:10–13
Bible Text: 10 The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for wisdom. 11 So God replied, “Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people with justice and have not asked for a long life or wealth or the death of your enemies—12 I will give you what you asked for! I will give you a wise and understanding heart such as no one else has had or ever will have! 13 And I will also give you what you did not ask for—riches and fame!
Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)
My Take
Solomon was crowned king at a very early age, and while he could have done like previous kings and depended heavily on his royal team of experts that surrounded him in leading the Israelites, he had a sincere heart for God and wanted to rule in a way pleasing to God, regardless of his personal heartfelt inabilities. In the presence of the Creator of the universe; the God who brought thousands miraculously across the desert from slavery into a land filled with beauty and promise; the same God that was such an awesome blessing to his father David; it is only natural that Solomon could have asked for almost anything, and it would have been very possible that God could have answered his requests. However, in greatest humility, Solomon acknowledged his weaknesses in light of the tremendous task ahead, and he recognized the strengths of the Master, so he asked that he might be given wisdom to properly lead the Israelites. Friends, this may sound fairly unimportant to you, but you and I face the same challenge every day that Solomon faced. Imagine with me that as we leave home today and enter our respective workplaces. How many of us know what we will face? The questions; the personal problems of each coworker; knowing exactly what would please our bosses today. And to top this off, as children of God, we want to do each of these things pleasing to God. What do you think? Do we need to ask a similar prayer of God that Solomon asked? In all humility, I feel like we should seek the face of Jesus and ask for wisdom in all things today, so that He may be lifted up by all those that we may touch in some way. Let’s remember that Jesus is Lord, and that we are merely servants seeking to serve Him faithfully and in obedience to His perfect will for us. Perhaps He may see fit to bless us as He did Solomon, by providing far more than we ask God for!
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank You for the examples that You have placed in Your Word to help us reflect on the awesome works of God. Thank You for the story of Solomon – a powerful earthly king, yet he saw the need of God to help him rule in a way pleasing to Him. Just as Solomon described himself as being so helpless in knowing the right thing to do or say, we find ourselves in exactly the same predicament. Lord, we have no way of knowing what we will face today, and rather than just ‘winging’ it, we humbly ask that You touch our hearts; our understanding; and our lips; so that we may be adequate representatives of Yours in whatever situation we may find ourselves. May it be evident who ‘runs our show’ of life, as we want You to be glorified and praised because of every word that we may speak or action that we may take today, AMEN!
Footnote
If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!
Nuggets From God's Word 